The present invention is concerned with machines for applying labels to containers and, more particularly, to containers of the large pail size utilizing bails.
Various industries which package their products in containers and, particularly, in large containers such as a five gallon pail, have over the years experienced considerable difficulty in applying labels to the exterior walls or surface of the containers. Many of these labels are of sufficient size that they cover much of the height of the container and wrap around the container substantially for its entire circumference.
In the past these labels have been applied by hand which is, of course, very time consuming and costly.
There have been many attempts to automate the application of labels to these large containers. One of the problems encountered in containers of this type is the bail attached to the top of the container. The bail must be maintained in an upright position out of interference with the side of the pail.
One attempt to automate the application of labels was a semi-automatic operation in which the pail was placed upon a manual turn table and the operator essentially applied the label mostly by hand. Another attempt was a rather large and complex machine in which the pail was stationary and the label wrapped around the pail by wiper arms. Such a machine, in addition to being costly at the outset, was also complex and expensive in its maintenance and operation.
What is needed by the industry is an inexpensive, simple but effective machine capable of placing labels on round containers and particularly large containers and, all the more, large containers having bails.